Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. defeated Mexico 2-0 and
qualified for soccer’s World Cup for a seventh straight time
when Honduras tied Panama 2-2 in a later kickoff.

Eddie Johnson and Landon Donovan scored second-half goals
at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, last night to leave the U.S.
unbeaten in seven World Cup qualifiers at home since 1972
against Mexico.

“We knew it was going to be a tense game, we knew there
was a lot at stake,” U.S. coach Juergen Klinsmann told ESPN.
“Throughout the entire team everybody was so dedicated, was so
hungry for this win.”

The U.S. had to wait about an hour after the game to find
out if it had booked one of 32 places at soccer’s quadrennial
showpiece. For the U.S. to reach the tournament in Brazil,
Honduras had to avoid defeat at home. Honduras led 2-1 before
conceding a goal in added time at the end of the game.

Panama’s draw with Honduras also earned a World Cup spot
for Costa Rica, which conceded a goal in added time at the end
of last night’s other game to draw 1-1 at Jamaica.

After failing to reach soccer’s showpiece from 1954 through
1986, the U.S. has played at every World Cup since 1990, making
the quarterfinals in 2002 and the round of 16 in 1994 and 2010.

The four-yearly championship is scheduled from June 12 to
July 13, 2014. The U.S. and Costa Rica join Argentina,
Australia, Iran, Italy, Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands
in securing berths. Record five-time winner Brazil automatically
qualifies as host.

The top three teams in the six-nation North, Central
America and Caribbean group advance, with the fourth-place
finisher entering a two-game playoff against Oceania group
winner New Zealand for another spot.

Group Standings

With two rounds of games remaining, the U.S. leads the
standings with 16 points, one more than Costa Rica. Honduras is
third with 11 points, followed by Panama and Mexico with eight
each, and Jamaica, which has four points.

The U.S. plays its last home qualifier Oct. 11 against
Jamaica in Kansas City, four days before it completes its
schedule at Panama.

Johnson opened the scoring four minutes into the second
half last night when he reached a corner kick ahead of Mexico
goalkeeper Jose Corona to head the ball into the middle of the
net for his 19th international goal.

Donovan, the career top scorer for the U.S. with 57 goals
from 152 appearances, doubled the advantage with 12 minutes
remaining as he turned in substitute Mikkel Diskerud’s low
center for his sixth goal against Mexico.

Clint Dempsey of the U.S. failed to score with a penalty
kick in the fifth minute of added time at the end of the game.

“These guys put in a lot of hard work over the past two
years and to have an opportunity in front of a crowd like this
to qualify is pretty special,” Donovan told ESPN.

It was the first game in charge of Mexico for Luis Fernando
Tena, who was promoted from assistant coach when Jose Manuel de
la Torre was fired following a 2-1 home defeat to Honduras in a
World Cup qualifier on Sept. 6.